Saturday 12th March 2011

Since 1990, 33 new countries have been created. Since 1990, my 7th grade history textbook has been revised...twice.

Not only are casual games, like Bejeweled and Farmville, the fastest growing segment of the game market, but casual games are also less expensive to develop, easier to distribute, and take less time to get to market. And they can teach.

This panel will bring together game developers and game education academics to talk about how the future of education depends on casual games. We will focus on game theory and casual game design, research and evaluation of games and learning, and successful public/private partnerships.

Tuesday 15th March 2011

In the US, 75% of students graduate high school. Our national college graduation rate is even lower at approximately 54%. And those students who aspire to go to college are faced with a rising tuition cost, which has increased more than any other major good or service for the last twenty years. Looking ahead to the next 20 years, students will pay $221,722 to drop out of a state school, and close to $450,000 to try their luck at a private school in hopes of getting a higher education. These unfortunate statistics don't even begin to describe the current university system's neglect to harness experiential and digital approaches to open-source educational models.

We are facing an education crisis in the United States. This panel will explore the future of education, examining the roles of design, technology, and human beings in reshaping the way we teach and learn. While the panel is diverse, the speakers all share unconventional views of learning, a passion for design and creativity, and an entrepreneurial commitment to driving change through both action and technology.